While traipsing round stores on our local high street in search of certain necessities for the average college girl in New England (read: rainboots and flannel sheets), I approached a not-so-unusual hurdle. You see, it has been about 6 months or so since I was first able to correctly identify my personal style, and was originally super pumped about finally having the opportunity to remake and recreate my wardrobe accordingly. But as I scoured the stores and malls for the perfect (insert college necessity here), I discovered that finding the quirky and unusual forms of my needs would not be easy in the least. Don't believe me? Well then, explain why it took me 8 hours of searching all over the city to find a normal duvet (not flannel) that I could make do with for the first couple of weeks? I mean, my personal style is primarily bohemian, it really shouldn't be that difficult to find bedding that appeals to me.

But it was.

And as days go bye, it gets harder and harder to cling on to this sense of self that I acquired when I identified my style. One day, after looking at the same selection of sports bras that I had seen in the six previous stores I moaned in frustration, 'Why doesn't this come in pretty?'.

Just because you'll only wear something to the gym doesn't mean that it can't look good. Where, I ask you, does it say that one must always sacrifice style for comfort? They aren't mutually exclusive. And I have proof too. I own some incredibly comfortable and cute white and silver trainers that have served me well and have not failed me yet(see above right). And like I mentioned once before, after hours of searching, I found this absolutely gorgeous plaid hoodie that I love to death. So I honestly believe that you can combine style and comfort. But, there must be some reason that so many people believe that you can't. I can't come up with any but I'm willing to learn, and open to all opinions. If you know them, please feel free to tell me.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S So let me know what you think. Do you agree that style can be combined with comfort? Or do you believe the two can't or should never be combined? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Dearest Devotees,So they say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul and that if one gazes into them , one may know secrets that the mouth cannot tell. Whether, this is true or not, is not certain. However, I can tell you that after having spent an inordinate amount of time over the past couple of weeks "gazing" into people's eyes ( I know, I know, it's rude to stare. What I go through for the sake of discovery...) , you can learn a lot about how person is truly feeling through them. If you don't believe me, simply take a look at the pictures below.

And if you still don't believe me, there are plenty of songs out there, like Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, that speak of the eyes in this magical light.

Finally, in my last seeking inspiration post I told you all about the Charade Blogiversary giveaway, in which Megan of Charade held a weeklong giveaway for her readers. She let everyone know all the prizes they could win each day, but kept the final prize a surprise to be revealed only by the winner. Well, I am very happy to say I was the lucky winner of her grand prize and now I have the pictures to show all who are dying to know what I won.

Love you all and Stay Inspired,P.S. So let me know what you think. Do you believe that you can tell what someone is thinking or feeling by looking in to their eyes? Why or Why not? Feel Free to let me know in the comments below.

I wrote this poem based on a song I wrote a long time ago. The song was about a male friend I had who was one of my best and closest friends. We were always there for each other and told each other everything. But, one day, over night it seemed, he began to distance himself from me

while trying to fit into the structured role of a "guy" our environment at the time. He became someone I didn't know and I didn't know how to deal with it. So I wrote a song called " Falling Apart" in order to express my feelings. I recently tapped into those feelings again when a new friend of mine asked me to sing the song for her, and was once again moved to write.

Here is the poem. Enjoy, but more importantly, feel.

The Brainwash

They came

And

They took you away from me.

A group called Society.

Made you into something I could never have foreseen.

And in one stealthy and lethal swipe

Brainwashed you and completely destroyed my dreams, our dreams.

They stole.

Everything that could have been,

Had Fate not signed that shady deed,

leaving us to Chance and Uncertainty

and all alone to fend for ourselves

in that dark and dreary world, a world of mystery.

You promised we'd stick together

and that nothing could break our bond.

But then Society came around

and they took you away from me.

They made you believe that what we had was wrong.

That the differences between you and me should somehow have made us see.

And that we should have known deep down all along,

that it just wasn't meant to be.

So you left.

And I wept.

But don't worry.

I can look back now and feel no tears down my cheeks.

I can finally find the words that I thought would never come to me.

I've made peace with what you did to me.

And

I sincerely hope that

Now

you are truly happy.

By: Aury

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Has a similar situation in which a close friend seems to completely change over night, leaving you wondering what went wrong? What did you do in the situation? And what do you think of the poem. Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Well for all those who didn't know,I recently relocated to the United States from Switzerland in order to attend my new university, Boston University in Massachussetts. I love it and Boston très bien, and have delved whole-heartedly and open-mindedlyinto making the best of this experience. That being said, there are some very intriguing things that I have noticed since I got here and I feel that it is my duty to share them with you, over the next couple of weeks, starting with the story of my first American fashion experience, that I have so rightly called cotton shock and you shall soon see why.

It has been about 8 years since I last lived in or visited the United States and fashion-wise, not much has changed really, from what I can remember of it. For some reason, despite all the hype around European fashion here, I never really believed that there was a great difference between American and European fashion and thought that my predominantly Swiss wardrobe would fit in fine. But, strange things kept happening whenever I walked out of my room each morning. Some days, it would just be a random stranger (male or female) complimenting my outfit. But there were some other more interesting occurences.

For example, on one cold and blustery, rainy day as I returned to my dormitory, this random guy started talking to me about how he was in the army and was going back in two days on an assignment, and how he was almost run over by a car. Then he asked me where I was from, and told me I was very beautiful and very well dressed. I was quite stunned, but recovered quickly and thanked him. He explained that he wasn't trying to pick me up but that he was curious about my origin because I did not look American. Several other similar events where I had been mistaken for Haitian, or Carribean, had happened and when I went for dinner that night with my (American) roommate and her friend, I asked her why I was so obviously not from around here. She then explained that partially it was my personal style, which I agree is quite out there, but that it was mostly because most of my clothes are not a 100% cotton. Apparently, most American clothes are made solely out of cotton and so therefore have the same general look. But I stuck out because most of my clothes where not cotton, and quite a few of them had bold floral or funky prints on the fabric.

This intrigued me greatly and led me to ponder this question: Would I americanize my wardrobe in order to fit in or would I rather continue to flaunt my personal style and hunt down pieces that fit in with it, despite the attention it gets me? Basically, would I rather blend in or stand out? I wouldn't be me if I didn't choose the latter. I have to remain true to myself. I'm different and proud of it! And I hope you all have the courage to remain true to yourselves too dearest devotees. Because being you makes you happy.

P.S. So let me know what you think. Have you ever faced a situation in which you have to make an effort to remain who you are despite the fact it makes you stand out? Do you have a distinct personal style that truly represents you and that you wouldn't let go of no matter what? And have you experienced culture shock, style wise or not ? Feel free to let me know in the comments below and please follow this blog if you liked this post.

I am soo sorry about going AWOL on you. I sincerely hope you forgive me. Basically, I was really ill for quite awhile and then I had to go through the whole terrible process of relocationg and transfering ( I do NOT advise anyone to take up the whole transferring later route. It can be immensely difficult.) and finally settling down in school. I missed you all Every Single Day, and I promise this will never happen again. Now, that I'm back, I fully intend on posting at least twice every week (finals included) and hope that you will help me spread the word that AOGW is back in bloom. Stay tuned for what comes up next, and I promise not to disappoint.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. If you have any topics you would like us to debate on AOGW, please email me @ aury4eva@gmail .com

Dearest Devotees, Pain, disappointment, hurt. These are things that no one can avoid in this life, no matter how charmed their exis...

Welcome!

"Come with me,and See this World,Through the eyesof an Ordinary Girl"

An Ordinary Girl's World is a blog for stylish and artistic teens, college students and young adults, creatively finding their way in this world. Its about expressing yourself through your personal style, your lifestyle, your relationships and friendships.This site will feature articles on fashion, love and life in general, with topics ranging from the latest trends in fashion, beauty and lifestyle, personal style, artistic inspiration pieces and real life survival guides.Email address: aury4eva@gmail.com

About Me

Frannie

Hello! I am Frannie a.k.a Frances Anne and I am a 21 year old Catholic Missionary. I am Nigerian but have lived all over the world and I currently live and serve in the U.S. I love God, others and life in general. I bubble over with joy everyday and would love to share my joy with you.